How is laminate installed in doorways? What is installed first: laminate or interior doors? How to lay laminate flooring near a door with casing.

During construction and renovation, sooner or later the question arises about choosing flooring. There are several options. Many people prefer laying laminate flooring. It's beautiful, reliable and inexpensive. However, you should know how to properly lay laminate flooring doorway. Photos and features of the process are further in our article.

Features of the material

First you need to familiarize yourself with the features of the flooring itself. So, the laminate is a lamella made of MDF material. On top it is covered with a decorative layer that imitates the structure natural wood, and also has protective film. The latter prevents scratches and abrasions on the decorative film.

Laminate is different locking connections, which can be different types. Installing such slats is very simple. But you need to know that the material is based on wood fibers. Laminate is afraid high humidity. If it is more than 70 percent, experts recommend additional waterproofing (mastic is used). Space (clearance) for movement is also provided. This is necessary to ensure that the floor does not swell at different humidity and temperatures.

Requirements

In order for the flooring to last for a long time, you need to properly prepare the base. These recommendations are relevant for all premises where repairs will be carried out:

Materials and tools

Before laying the laminate in the doorway, we need to prepare the following tools:

• Roulette.
• Meter metal ruler.
• Metal square (for marking right angles).
• Protractor (if it is intended curly styling laminate).
• Pencil (for making marks).

Since the slats need to be trimmed, we need:

In addition, we will need feather drills. They are needed to cut holes in the boards for the passage of pipes and other communications. Drills should have a little larger diameter, rather than the pipes themselves, which are located in the room.

To lay laminate we need to have:

• Hammer (for hammering boards).
• Tamping block. We will substitute it to protect the lamella from damage. If you hit the laminate directly with a hammer, there will definitely be dents and other defects. Experts advise using a plastic block weighing at least one and a half kilograms.
• Restrictive wedges. They are installed to create a gap between the wall and the floor along the entire perimeter of the room. This gap will prevent deformation of the coating. After laying the laminate, this gap will be closed with a plinth.
• Metal bracket. It is needed in order to latch the last lamella in the row. The metal bracket is a hook that is inserted into the last board. Next, hammer the panel into the groove using a hammer.

Laying methods

Experts identify several ways to install laminate flooring in a doorway:

We also note that there are several options for laying laminate in a doorway in the direction: along or across. The first method allows you to ideally join panels of the same size. If transverse laying is used, a slight difference between the planks can be hidden with a plinth.

Technological features

Before laying laminate flooring in a doorway, you need to properly prepare:

About expansion gaps

When laying laminate flooring in a doorway (with or without a threshold), you must always provide a technological gap. It is needed in case of thermal expansion of the material. This is also true for other areas on the floor. If a deformation gap is not provided, the coating may swell. What size should the gap be? There are several options:

• A gap of one and a half to two millimeters is made between the slopes and the board.
• If there are heating pipes near the slopes, this gap increases to three millimeters. In such a situation there will be a large linear expansion of the panels.

Features of slope trimming

If you are installing laminate flooring in a doorway using the first method, you need to cut off a small part of the slopes. The main thing is not to trim off excess. How is the cutting height determined:

• The laminate is installed on the substrate and moved towards the jamb.
• The required level is marked on the slope with a pencil.
• For an even cut, use a hacksaw for metal.

The groove is made to the entire depth of the slope. When the installation of the lamellas is completed in the doorway, proceed to install the threshold. After this, the flooring is considered complete.

Features of cutting lamellas

Before proceeding with installation, you need to make grooves in the planks that are adjacent to the slopes. For this:

• The length and width of the slope should be changed.
• At the future junction of the strip and the jamb, you need to note the obtained values.
• Increase the depth of the groove by two millimeters (this will be our technological gap).

As a result, we will get a U-shaped groove by working with a hacksaw. On next stage installation of a threshold or aluminum strip is carried out. The latter is used more often in such cases, since the bar is easier to install.

note

Laying laminate flooring in a doorway where there are also nearby water pipes or other protrusions, has some difficulties. Since the material tends to contract and expand, it is not recommended to mount the lamella closely. There should always be a gap.

So, we found out how to properly lay laminate flooring doorways. As you can see, this operation requires certain knowledge. But even a beginner can cope with laying lamellas with a minimum of tools.

As a floor covering, in any case you will have to face a problem associated with the method of laying this material under the doorway. In our article, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with how to lay laminate flooring in a doorway with your own hands.

In addition, it will consider the known options for laying flooring of this type, as well as a number of conditions that determine the choice of each of them.

Features of installation in doorways

Before the beginning installation work you should familiarize yourself with the requirements that apply in this case to the elements of the flooring section laid under the doors:

1. Firstly, between the bottom cut door leaf and the coating should leave some gap to ensure free movement of the door leaf in both directions (usually one centimeter is enough for this). That is why, when planning work, the height position of the door should be set in advance.
2. Secondly, the laminate must be laid on an ideally prepared base that does not have noticeable deviations from the horizontal. Failure to comply with this condition may result in unpleasant consequences such as its “swelling” and the impossibility of freely opening the door leaves.
3. Thirdly, not all types are suitable for laminate covering. floor bases, but only those that provide sufficient rigidity of the substrate (seamless cement floor, for example, or surfaces finished with tiles, plywood, fiberboard).
4. In addition, it is not allowed to lay laminate flooring on any rigid bases if some of their elements are loose or have mechanical damage.
5. It is also necessary to exclude xylolite floors, which differ high level residual moisture.

Laminate laying technology

Laying laminate flooring in a doorway without a threshold is carried out in compliance with the following recommendations:

1. Installation of floor covering elements must be carried out taking into account technological (deformation) gaps of a certain size, which are subsequently closed using plinths.
2. Room humidity should not exceed 70%; otherwise, the laminate will begin to become saturated with moisture and swell.
3. All joining seams formed in the area of ​​the doorway between materials of different classes should be covered with a special profile suitable color(aluminum or plastic).

Let us remind you that the laminate flooring must be laid on a dry, hard, perfectly level base, cleared of small debris. All visually noticeable irregularities should be thoroughly sanded or leveled using regular putty. Also, you should not forget that when laying the laminate, a special backing is used, made of foamed polyethylene (in some cases it is allowed to use modern cork covering).

When laying the flooring in the opening, it is necessary to leave small gaps (about 3-5 mm), to fix which special plastic plugs are used, which are removed immediately after completion of the work.

In the area of ​​the doorway, the laminate is laid, as a rule, using a floating method, during which the material is not rigidly bonded to the base plane. With this method of fastening, the adhesive composition is applied only to its joints, resulting in the formation of a solid coating that is in no way connected with the supporting base.

Choosing a laminate installation method

Laying laminate in a doorway with a threshold (bottom strip of the door frame) seems to be the most in a complicated way installation, which can be implemented in three ways:

• trimming the bottom strip of the box;
• laying the flooring before installing the door;
• adjusting the laminate panel to the gap between the bottom strip and the base of the floor.

In the first case, the bottom strip is cut to the thickness of the laminate panel placed under the door. At the same time, cuts are made on the box itself in this place near the floor, which are used for laying it. To implement this option, you will need a regular hacksaw for wood, with which you can prepare the indicated cuts. During the installation process, the laminate board is inserted into the prepared cuts and secured there. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that when preparing cuts you should act very carefully, since any accidental damage to the door can lead to undesirable consequences requiring restoration of the entire frame.

The second method involves laying the laminate flooring before the door frame itself is installed. This option is used, as a rule, in cases where a major renovation is planned in the apartment with the replacement of all door blocks.

The last of the options listed above allows you to do without filing the bottom strip of the door frame and lay the flooring directly into the gap under the door. It is quite natural that its implementation is possible only if there is such a gap, that is, with the appropriate height of the door being installed. It is believed that with a minimum coefficient of thermal expansion door design it is quite acceptable to reduce the gap between the canvas and the coating by 2-3 mm.

This is quite enough to ensure that a correctly cut and tightly pressed laminate panel to the base does not interfere with the free movement of the door leaf itself. It is quite clear that the latter method of installing the floor covering is only possible with increased precision in cutting the mounted panel.

In conclusion, we note that all of the above installation techniques have one requirement in common. This is the high precision of all “adjusting” operations, guaranteeing the required clearances. Detailed video You can view the installation of laminate flooring in a doorway at the end of the article, as well as on any Internet resource on the relevant topic.

Video

This video shows how laminate flooring is installed near doors:

If you have chosen laminate as a floor covering, you will in any case have to face a problem associated with the method of laying this material in the doorway. In our article, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with all the necessary information describing how to lay laminate flooring in a doorway with your own hands.

In addition, it will discuss the known options for laying flooring of this type, as well as a number of conditions that determine the choice of each of them.

Laying features

Before starting installation work, you should familiarize yourself with the requirements that apply to the elements of the floor covering area laid under the doors:

1. Firstly, there must be some gap between the bottom cut of the door leaf and the coating, ensuring free movement of the door leaf in both directions (usually one centimeter is enough for this). That is why, when planning work, the height position of the door should be set in advance.
2. The laminate must be laid on a perfectly prepared (leveled) base that does not have noticeable deviations from the horizontal. Failure to comply with this condition is fraught with unpleasant consequences such as “swelling” and the impossibility of freely opening the door leaves.
3. Thirdly, not all types of floor substrates can be covered with laminate, but only those that provide sufficient rigidity of the substrate (seamless cement floor, for example, or surfaces finished with tiles, plywood, fiberboard).
4. In addition, it is not allowed to lay laminate flooring on any rigid bases if some of their elements are loose or have mechanical damage.
5. It is also necessary to exclude xylolite floors, which are characterized by a high level of residual moisture.

Laminate laying technology

When laying laminate flooring in a doorway without a threshold, you must adhere to the following rules:

1. Installation of floor covering elements must be carried out taking into account technological (deformation) gaps of a certain size, which are subsequently closed using plinths.
2. Room humidity should not exceed 70%; otherwise, the laminate will begin to become saturated with moisture and swell.
3. All joining seams formed in the area of ​​the doorway between materials of different classes should be covered with a special profile of a suitable color (aluminum or plastic).

Let us remind you that the laminate flooring must be laid on a dry, hard, perfectly level base and free of small debris. All visually noticeable irregularities should be thoroughly sanded or leveled using regular putty. Also, you should not forget that when covering the laminate, a special backing made of foamed polyethylene is used (in some cases it is possible to use modern cork).

As already noted, when laying the flooring in the opening, it is necessary to leave small gaps (about 3–5 mm), to fix which special plastic plugs are used, which are removed immediately upon completion of the work.

Note! In the area of ​​the doorway, laminate is laid, as a rule, using a floating method, during which the material is not rigidly bonded to the base plane. With this method of fastening, the adhesive composition is applied only to its joints, resulting in the formation of a solid coating that is in no way connected with the supporting base.

Choosing a laminate installation method

The option of laying laminate in a doorway with a threshold (bottom strip of the door frame) seems to be the most complex installation method, which can be implemented in three ways:

• trimming the bottom strip of the box,
• laying the flooring before installing the door,
• adjusting the laminate panel to the gap between the bottom strip and the base of the floor.

In the first case, the bottom strip is cut to the thickness of the laminate panel placed under the door. At the same time, cuts are made on the box itself in this place near the floor, which are used for laying it. To implement this option, you will need a regular hacksaw for wood, with which you can prepare the indicated cuts. During the installation process, the laminate board is inserted into the prepared cuts and secured there. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that when preparing cuts you should act very carefully, since any accidental damage to the door can lead to undesirable consequences requiring restoration of the entire frame.

The second method involves laying the laminate flooring before the door frame itself is installed. This option is used, as a rule, in cases where a major renovation is planned in the apartment with the replacement of all door blocks.

The last of the options listed above allows you to do without filing the bottom strip of the door frame and lay the flooring directly into the gap under the door. It is quite natural that its implementation is possible only if there is such a gap, i.e. at the appropriate height of the installed door. It is believed that with a minimum coefficient of thermal expansion of the door structure, it is quite acceptable to reduce the size of the gap between the leaf and the coating by 2-3mm.

This is quite enough to ensure that a correctly cut and tightly pressed laminate panel to the base does not interfere with the free movement of the door leaf itself. It is quite clear that the latter method of installing the floor covering is possible only with increased precision in cutting the mounted panel.

Note that all of the above installation techniques have one requirement in common. This is the high precision of all “adjusting” operations, guaranteeing the required clearances.

Video

When laying laminate flooring in a doorway, you cannot do without thresholds. This video will show you how to install them.

Floor coverings

What to install first: laminate or interior doors?

From the author: We welcome our subscribers, as well as everyone who reads this article in the hope of learning valuable information and useful tips on the topic of construction. The question of what comes first: doors or laminate, inevitably arises among people who decide to carry out overhaul in your home.

It is interesting that recommendations from different sources in this case are sometimes given diametrically opposed ones. We will try to provide you with a comprehensive answer to this and other questions that arise in the process of working on interior decoration premises.

Which option should I choose?

Professional builders give the following answer to the question of what they do first - install a door frame or lay a floor: installation can be done in any sequence of your choice. Only one rule remains unchanged: everything rough work must be completed first, and then everything else. These include:

• preparation of the floor surface (dismantling the old coating, removing debris, or using special mixtures);
• preparation of doorways (dismantling old doors, trim, removal of remnants of insulating material);
• output of door slopes.

Let's take a closer look at the pros and cons of all options.

Advantages and disadvantages of each option

Before you decide what you will do first - install the door frame or lay the flooring, you need to have a good understanding of the essence of the issue. The advantages of laying the flooring before installing the door frame are the following:

• nothing puts pressure on the laminated panels and does not prevent them from “floating” freely;
• When the finished floor is completely ready, measurements for making the door leaf will be most accurate. In this case, you will not have to shorten it if necessary, which means that you will avoid unnecessary waste of time;
• the cost of work in the case when the laminate is laid first, and then the door frame is installed, is lower, since you do not have to force the floor covering under the door frame (which can damage the material, and you will need to purchase it additionally), or carry out work to correct its size.

The only drawback this method The only problem is that there is a risk of scratching the floor covering during installation. However, you can avoid such troubles quite simply - just cover the floors soft cloth, and lay polyethylene on top of it. In this case, nothing will threaten the laminate.

Proponents of the method in which the door frame is first installed, and then the floor is laid - or, if we are talking about cases where there is no need to change the previously installed door frame - its advantage is the complete elimination of the risk of damage to the floor covering.

The disadvantage is the higher cost of the work, since most likely you will have to adjust the height of the door leaf to the floor covering. In the case of paneled canvases, most often, this option is not applicable at all.

Professionals recommend laying laminated panels on a special substrate, which insulates them from contact with the previous coating, acts as insulation and has soundproofing properties. In this case, the floor height will rise by at least one centimeter. This may prevent the door leaf from opening and closing freely.

In such a situation, you will need to saw off the bottom of the door frame: this is done using a special hacksaw with an offset handle. There should be a gap of such a size that the laminated panel fits freely into it, and the racks of the box do not put pressure on it. In the case where the slopes are finished with extensions, you will also have to shorten them taking into account the height of the selected covering.

If for some reason it is impossible to change the height of the door leaf, you will first need to completely get rid of the old floor covering, and then lay the laminated panels.

They are laid in such a way that there are small (about 0.5 centimeters) gaps between the wall and the outer elements of the covering. Subsequently, they are covered with baseboards. If between rooms are laid different kinds floor coverings, you need to leave a small damping gap between them, which you will then cover with a special profile.

When the door leaf has already been installed, during the installation of laminated panels it must be protected from dust and possible mechanical damage. To do this, cover plastic film door leaf, and paste over its outer elements masking tape. It should be remembered that with each of the listed methods, the trim must be removed, and then complete completion work - install and adjust in height.

Drawing conclusions

As you can see, there is no clear answer to the question - is it possible to install interior doors first and then? What to do and in what order is determined individually in each case, based on the circumstances of the repair and the characteristics of the room. We can only confidently say that by adhering to the recommendations that we have outlined for you today, performing actions carefully and in the given sequence, you will definitely achieve the desired result.

Did you like the article? Then don't be greedy - share the link to it with your friends. We will be glad if you leave comments below about which of today's material was most useful to you. Good luck and easy repairs to you!

Publication date: 09/23/2015

Laying laminate flooring in a doorway

Have you decided to choose laminate flooring? Surely many questions immediately arose that you want to resolve as soon as possible. It's best to get answers to them during the planning stage.

In this article we will focus on one of current issues, which boils down to how to properly lay laminate flooring in doorways, and how it can be combined with other floor coverings.

There is no point in trying to “do something during installation”; it is better to plan the entire process from the very beginning. We'll consider existing methods laying laminate flooring in doorways, features of this work and basic rules. You will see how you can quickly and efficiently complete this rather difficult stage of laying flooring.

Features of laying laminate flooring in doorways

Before you begin laying laminate flooring in doorways, you need to check whether the following conditions are met:

1. There must be a gap of at least one centimeter between the surface of the door leaf and the laminate itself to ensure free opening and closing of the door. Therefore, the door height should be adjusted in advance.
2. Be sure to measure the humidity level, as well as inspect the base and check its horizontalness. It is recommended to carry out preparatory work, otherwise the laminate will deform during operation, swell, the door will no longer close, and it may become warped.
3. Suitable types of flooring for laminate flooring include cement flooring without seams, wooden base, floor tiles, fiberboard or plywood, glued linoleum. You cannot begin laying on carpet and loose linoleum, on a tile floor if its individual elements are cracked and wobbly, as well as on xylolite floors, since the residual moisture will be very high and the laminate will begin to deform during use.

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Laying rules

Laminate flooring rules door frames very simple:

1. Small technological gaps should be left, which are subsequently covered with skirting boards. The size of the gap is determined by the following formula: there should be two millimeters of expansion joint per meter of length.
2. The humidity during installation and further operation should not be more than seventy percent, otherwise the laminate will begin to swell, which will lead to deformation of the coating, and the doors will no longer open and close normally.
3. Door thresholds have not been used for a long time for a number of reasons, the main one being inconvenience. Therefore, the joints and seams between various materials at the door threshold can be blocked using a special aluminum or plastic profile suitable color. For complex installations, for example, with curves, you can use a special flexible profile that bends perfectly to take the shape of the coating.
4. When laying laminate flooring, you must ensure that there is a gap of at least ten millimeters, or better yet twenty, between the door leaf and the floor surface.

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Preparing the base

Laminate flooring can only be installed on a perfectly flat and clean base, which must be stable and dry. All unevenness exceeding three millimeters per meter of floor must be sanded or filled with regular putty.

If the floor is made of wood, then installation can begin only after a thorough check of the base and its individual elements. The boards should not be loose or rotten; all damaged parts should be replaced immediately. The laminate is laid in the same direction as the subfloor boards.

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Underlayment flooring

For laminate flooring, you must use a special underlay. Foamed polyethylene or cork are most often used. Sometimes special embossed moisture-regulating cardboard is used, which perfectly absorbs noise and acts as insulation. Cardboard is laid in several layers, fastening them with tape, but cork and polyethylene substrates can be laid in only one layer with a thickness of two to four millimeters, so as not to disturb the distribution of loads.

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Let's start laying the laminate

When laying laminate flooring, it should be taken into account that its base is made of wood, that is, the panels themselves are subject to temperature and humidity expansion.

During installation, it is necessary to leave small gaps of five to ten millimeters at the surface of the walls. In doorways they can be much smaller. In order not to forget about this gap and to ensure evenness of installation near the walls, plastic plugs are used, which are removed after flooring.

If the laminate is installed in large and wide rooms, then it is necessary to provide an expansion joint of ten millimeters (per one linear meter there should be one and a half millimeters of seam).

At doorways, laminate is laid in a floating manner, that is, it is bonded to the surface of the base. The glue is applied only to the joints, thus creating a single coating that is not connected to the base. Often glue is used for lock panels, since the area near the door is most subject to stress and it is necessary to ensure increased strength in this place.